"200,000 points?"
The Shogi Club members' faces turned a little pale.
For him, that was no small sum.
And if he lost again, he would be out 300,000 points.
Dokuho Kouya saw that the senior was in a difficult spot and kindly said, "If you can't afford it, senpai, you can sit this one out for now."
"I'm in a hurry to go challenge the other clubs."
At that, the senior who had just lost and the other two Shogi Club members all had veins popping on their foreheads.
How could they not understand what Dokuho Kouya was implying?
He clearly didn't think much of them.
"I'll play you!"
Another member approached the board with a cold expression. "If you lose, you'll not only have to give us 200,000 points, you'll also have to apologize for what you just said!"
"Sure." Dokuho Kouya smiled unconcernedly. "Then let's sign the contract first."
The second contract was quickly signed.
If Dokuho Kouya lost, he would have to give the other party 200,000 points. If he won, the other party would have to give him 200,000.
As an upperclassman, the senior could naturally save up 200,000 points, so Dokuho Kouya wasn't worried that he wouldn't be able to pay.
Before long,
the second member was defeated as well.
"What the hell?" That member was just as baffled.
He'd clearly thought victory was in the bag and that he was about to win.
But Dokuho Kouya had merely made a casual move, and somehow he'd already lost.
"200,000 points." Dokuho Kouya raised his Student Terminal, indicating that the senior should transfer the points.
"Damn it!" The second senior honored the bet. Though he grumbled, he still dutifully handed over the 200,000 points.
After receiving the points, Dokuho Kouya looked toward the last Shogi Club member.
"Don't look at me." The student quickly shook his head. "There's no way I can put up 400,000 points to play you."
Although he hadn't been able to figure out how Dokuho Kouya had won either, he knew that his two partners were no slouches.
If even they'd been utterly crushed, there was no way he could do any better.
"How about I go easy on you seniors?" Dokuho Kouya said with a slight smile. "I'll play shogi against all three of you at once, and you can pool your points to put up 400,000 for the wager."
"Play against three people at once?!"
The Shogi Club members, who had never watched Hikaru no Go, widened their eyes.
Even the teacher acting as guarantor couldn't believe it.
"Underclassman, I need to make sure." The last member left looked tense. "Are the three of us playing one game against you together, or are we each playing a separate game against you at the same time?"
If it was the latter, Dokuho Kouya would have to play three games at once.
No matter how skilled he was, surely he couldn't handle being attacked by three national-level players at the same time?
"Of course, we'll do it the way you seniors would prefer." Dokuho Kouya narrowed his eyes and smiled confidently. "If you still don't have the confidence to play me, that would be pretty disappointing."
At that, the three Shogi Club members looked at one another, then nodded together.
"Let's do it!"
"If all three of us can't beat you together, I'll never play shogi again!"
They were so determined to defeat Dokuho Kouya that they even made a vow.
With the teacher as witness, Dokuho Kouya signed a contract with the entire Shogi Club.
He would play a separate game against each of the three at the same time.
If he lost even one game, he would have to give the Shogi Club members 400,000 points.
If he won all three, he would receive 400,000 points from the Shogi Club.
"Am I dreaming?"
The teacher acting as referee watched the matches, cold sweat breaking out on his face.
Dokuho Kouya, playing against all three at once, remained completely calm. He only glanced at each board briefly before making his moves.
By contrast, the Shogi Club members looked tense and were drenched in sweat, taking a long time to make each move.
But they still couldn't escape the fate of being defeated across the board.
"Thank you for the gift, senpai. I'll accept it with gratitude."
After beating every Shogi Club member at once, Dokuho Kouya walked away with another 400,000 points.
Hearing his words, the Shogi Club members felt awful.
He was rubbing salt in their wounds!
Was this guy even human?
"Underclassman, you're incredibly skilled. We're convinced." One of the Shogi Club members asked, puzzled, "But why have we never heard your name before?"
They'd been competing in shogi tournaments since elementary school and knew of all the players around their age. Yet they'd never heard the name Dokuho Kouya.
A player this talented should have been hailed as a prodigy by the country long ago, with everyone knowing his name.
At that, Dokuho Kouya replied slowly, "Of course you've never heard my name in the shogi world."
"After all... I only learned how to play shogi today."
After saying that, Dokuho Kouya left the Shogi Club's activity room and headed for the next club.
The Shogi Club members stared at him in shock.
"Did I hear that right? He only learned to play shogi today!"
"That's what he said, but he must be lying!"
The Shogi Club members refused to believe Dokuho Kouya, not even by a thousandth of a percent.
The idea that a complete beginner could crush seasoned veterans like them was simply too absurd.
If Dokuho Kouya had still been there to hear what the Shogi Club members thought, he would surely have sighed, These days, nobody believes the truth anymore.
Chess Club.
When Dokuho Kouya arrived at the activity room, he found that a girl with short white hair had gotten there before him.
She wore a beret and sat in one of the seats provided by the club, with a cane beside her.
All these details made her identity clear.
Class A of the First Year, Sakayanagi Arisu.
She was currently playing against a member of the Chess Club.
Compared with her opponent, who was drenched in sweat and had a face like a bitter melon, Sakayanagi Arisu looked calm and carefree, with a faint smile on her face.
"I've lost." Before long, the Chess Club member bowed his head in defeat. "I'll transfer the points to you as agreed in the contract."
"You played very well too, senpai." There was a hint of delight in Sakayanagi Arisu's voice. "With a little more attention to detail, you might still have a chance of becoming a professional player."
"Th-thank you for the compliment!" Being praised by an underclassman made the Chess Club member a little embarrassed.
But his opponent really was better than him, so he could only accept her advice with humility.
"That settles the Chess Club challenge, then." Sakayanagi Arisu picked up her cane and slowly stood up.
As she turned to leave, she happened to catch sight of Dokuho Kouya standing at the doorway. Her lovely brows lifted slightly.
"Oh my, it seems one fish slipped through the net." Sakayanagi Arisu pressed her lips together and looked over calmly.
"Classmate, maybe you're the bigger fish." Dokuho Kouya's lips curled slightly, a glint in his eyes.
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